Tales of the Schiff
by Lung Tien Lien
Summary: AU: Snippets of the past, present, and the new, bright future of those whose eyes are neither red nor blue, but green. *Updated Re-Post from Summer 2012*
1. The Tale of Karman's Almighty Glasses

**Tales of the Schiff**

_Chapter 1: The Tale of Karman's Almighty Glasses_

**(Disclaimer: I only wish I own Blood+. If I did, the Schiff wouldn't have died or been so underrated.)**

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_Chapter Data_

Rating: T (mild language)

Genre: Humor/crack, slice-of-life

Characters Featured: Karman, Kai, Moses, Irene, Lulu, Kanade, and Hibiki

Length: ~ 6200 words

Summary: Kai, Kanade, and Hibiki have wondered as of late why Karman never seems to go through a single day without wearing his glasses. He doesn't need them, so what does he have to hide? To the chagrin of almost everyone in Kai's home, it would seem they're about to find out.

_**Author's Comments**__: I've been wondering why Karman never seems to be without his glasses, even while fighting. Considering no one else of chiropteran heritage wears them, I found it to be a bit strange. True, it might've been a mutation or some such that gave him the need for glasses, but while pondering the issue, this idea popped into my head and I thought it was too good not to go with. Mind you, it goes from normal to crack fairly quickly at the end, and this idea will probably be stupid to some, but I hope the majority of readers will enjoy this humorous little segment. Read and review, please! (Also, Kanade and Hibiki are about six or seven in this short.)_

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"Uncle Kai, what are those things Uncle Karman wears on his face?"

Momentarily turning from the pan of pork stir fry he had cooking on the stove for breakfast, Kai turned to look at little Kanade, who sat on the edge of the oak countertop with her legs dangling and swinging. Her long, obsidian hair pooled at the base of her back and framed her young face, which held an almost uncanny resemblance to her mother's down to her clear blue eyes. It was these eyes, filled with innocent curiosity, that prompted Kai to answer as quickly as he did, even though the food before him required most of his concentration.

"They're called glasses, sweetheart."

Kanade made a face. She hated it when anyone, even her adoptive father and blood uncle, called her things like "sweetheart," "darling," or other such terms of endearment. It made her feel small, and she didn't like feeling small.

Kai simply smiled, knowing full-well that his little niece would make that face. Her cheeks and brow completely scrunched up, narrowing her blue eyes into an expression that would've seemed intimidating…if it had not been so cute.

But the expression went away quick enough, and Kanade pressed on with more questions.

"What _are _they?"

"They're specially made pieces of glass fit into frames that help people see."

"Why do people need help to see? I can see fine, at least I think so."

"Some people get their eyes hurt or are born with bad ones, so they have trouble seeing things. Glasses let them see fine again."

"Do you need glasses, Uncle Kai? Do _I _need them?"

"No and no. Our eyes are perfectly all right, and so are your sister's."

"But Uncle Karman's aren't? What happened to them?"

The first question gave the young man pause. How to answer that, he wondered, because Karman's eyes were in as good shape as Kai's and possibly better given his chiropteran DNA. And despite all of the intense fighting that went on during the war against Diva and her Chevaliers, the Schiff sustained no injury that would've impaired or even mildly affected his eyesight. Moses, Irene, and Lulu were the same, and none of them wore either glasses, or contacts, like he did.

Kai had asked Karman about the odd habit, but only once, for the Schiff's mood became curt and evasive before the question even finished. Summarily, the answer held the same tone, and Kai was left knowing little more than he did to begin with, except that Karman didn't like being asked about his glasses…for some reason.

Meanwhile, as her uncle reflected on what to say, Kanade watched on impatiently, her legs swinging a little faster than before. Hibiki, her twin, stood on the floor below her with a similar expression, having appeared only a minute earlier (but hearing the entire conversation beforehand from the hall). Unlike her sister, her hair did not flow down to the backs of her knees but rested at her shoulders and was perfectly straight. It remained straight as the little girl ran her fingers through it, tugging at the strands and curling them about in every which way as she waited for Kai to begin talking again.

Eventually, Kai surrendered himself to the storm that was undoubtedly going to break over him.

"Nothing's wrong with them, Kanade. Uncle Karman can see just fine."

Kai braced himself…

"But you said glasses help people see!"

"And that only people with bad eyes have to wear them!"

"Why does Uncle Karman wear glasses if he doesn't have bad eyes?"

"Are you sure he doesn't have bad eyes?"

"Are you fibbing to us? You always say that fibbing is bad!"

The poor man sighed as the girls kept pelting him with questions, so he wisely returned his attention to the stir fry that was about to burn. And though he didn't meet his niece's gazes, Kai replied, "I'm not fibbing, and I'm sure that Uncle Karman's eyes are fine. Now, why don't you girls help me set everything up for breakfast? Uncle Karman should be awake and down here soon; you can try asking him once we're all through eating."

The twin girls were obviously petulant – even the rather even-tempered Hibiki – but did not hesitate to do what Kai requested of them. Kanade hopped down from the counter and followed her sister into the living room, where they immediately began cleaning everything up for the morning meal.

Not long after Kai finished loading the slightly-burned stir fry onto plates, the four Schiff that currently boarded at his home appeared from the hall, still wearing whatever they'd chosen to fall asleep in the previous night. Lulu tried not to trip over the legs of her purple, bunny-covered pajamas; Irene expertly tied closed a blue velvet robe around her sheer nightgown to protect her modesty; and Moses and Karman tried to stretch themselves to wakefulness in their shorts and t-shirts.

Although Kai had certainly seen his share of strange things over the past few years, it was hard looking at the four chiropteran hybrids dressed in such incredibly mundane bedclothes and acting so human like without laughing. If he hadn't faced off against and then fought alongside them with Saya, Hagi, and the other members of the Red Shield, he never would've guessed that his friends were expert fighters and killers – vampires, too; well, chiropterans, technically. In any case, the Schiff looked entirely unassuming at the moment, and this was especially apparent considering that they still struggled with synching their sleep schedules with that of Kai and his family.

Kai felt a twinge of pity. Even after all these years, none of the Schiff had become very used to being active solely during the day and then getting a full sleep at night. Since their escape from Kilbed, they'd lead a life almost entirely on the move, grabbing whatever rest they could during the day only if they had the time and safe shelter to afford it. And while the blood of Chevaliers helped dull the need to take respite, the Schiff had limits to how long they could stretch their energy reserves, and they all had to become extremely used to living from day to day with little down time and adapting to take full advantage of what they managed to secure. The Schiff could deal with a normal human routine, of course, and did so rather well, but it took each of them a while to transition from sleep to awake to back again on, relative to them, a strict pace. And it certainly wasn't uncommon to hear one or more of them roaming around the house at night, looking for something to do to help get back to sleep or just pass time.

Though Kai didn't try to force his friends to conform to the sleep cycle he, Kanade, and Hibiki practiced. It wouldn't be fair to them, and the young man was nothing if not fair – that's just how he lived. But, now that the struggle with Diva had ended indefinitely, the Schiff wanted to blend in with humans in order to retire from the battlefield and settle down into safe, quiet lives. Uncomfortable with the wide world as of yet, and with good reason, they'd wanted to live at least somewhere relatively close to Kai. He was the only member of the Red Shield – and the only human, when he thought about it – that had their full trust aside from (the currently indisposed) Hagi and Saya. To that, he'd agreed without question or misgiving, accepting them into his own house with all the haste he could muster.

However, not stopping there, "blending in" for them included trying to act as human as they could down to their health and hygiene habits, and sometimes it was harder for the Schiff than any of them would like to admit. Although they were doing much better than during starting out, the four still looked very tired, standing out in stark contrast to the morning bird that was Kai.

So, despite his amusement at their looks, Kai did and would continue to do everything in his power to help the Schiff come as close to "normal" as they could get, and a tasty, hearty, slightly burned breakfast was a good start.

"Morning, you guys," Kai greeted with cheer.

The only one who gave a verbal "good morning" back was Irene; the other three gave up a series of undeterminable mutters (Moses and Lulu) and grunts (Karman). Kai didn't mind in the least.

"Grab a plate and dig in. It's hot and fresh, and if you want seconds, I'd be happy to make some more."

The plates of stir fry all but vanished from the kitchen in a few seconds, Kanade and Hibiki helping by grabbing a couple for themselves now that their chores in the living room were finished. The meal that followed was quiet, but filled with an air of contentedness, and soon the seven members of the house had stuffed themselves. Pork stir fry was a particular favorite of the Miyagusuku household, one that not only tasted fantastic but could be eaten at any time of the day, and leftovers were rare.

When everyone had finished, Kai careful collected the plates and began heading towards the kitchen. As he passed the couch, he heard:

"Uncle Karman, why do you wear glasses all the time?"

Kai let out a quiet, yet long-suffering sigh. There'd been absolutely no preamble to the question – it was straightforward as could be. Of course, why he had bothered to expect anything different, he didn't know.

Fortunately, Karman's gruff personality always softened when dealing with Kanade and Hibiki. He wouldn't be nearly as short with them as he had been with Kai. Of course, over the noise of washing the dirty dishes, Kai could tell the evasiveness remained.

"Why do you ask?" (Karman.)

"Uncle Kai told us that only people with bad eyes have to wear glasses." (Kanade.)

"But he also said that you don't have bad eyes." (Hibiki.)

Kai made sure his attention was elsewhere as Karman sent him a pointed glare. He could almost hear the Schiff's thoughts, namely, _"I'm going to get you for this later."_

"So, why do you wear glasses if you don't have bad eyes?"

There was an awkward pause, during which time everyone's attention focused on the slightly irritated Karman. At last, he shrugged.

"Sometimes I just forget I have them on."

That was one of the most blatant lies Kai had ever heard, but he kept that thought to himself. Karman was almost always adjusting them nowadays, especially whenever he could be found in the restaurant attached to the house – George Miyagusuku's old place, now renovated and running again.

Of course, little Hibiki picked up on the fib rather quickly. Being the more keen of the twins, this was no surprise.

"Why don't you just take them off and not put them back on when you remember they're there?"

Again came the awkward silence, and again, Karman opted to try and lie his way out.

"Usually when I remember, I'm doing something else and can't stop to put them back in their case."

But the twins weren't having any of their uncle's nonsense. Not _this _morning.

"Why don't you ask one of us to put your glasses up? We know where the case is."

"Or we could do your chores and let you go and put them up."

"Is there something special your glasses do since you don't have bad eyes?"

"Do you really have bad eyes and everyone is just fibbing to us?"

Now it was Karman's turn to weather the onslaught of youthful curiosity. Despite the situation, Kai both smirked at and felt sympathy for Karman, whose expression alternated between exasperation and exhaustion at Kanade and Hibiki's nigh endless bombardment. Finally Irene, who, like Moses and Lulu, had said nothing up until this point in an effort to stay off of the twins' radar, took pity on her friend and intervened.

"Here, you two. How about you help me find something nice to wear for today? I haven't been able to decide which outfit looks better, and I need your help."

The distraction worked like a charm. Kanade and Hibiki immediately turned their focus from Karman and rushed into the hall after Irene, more than ready to help her pick out something pretty to wear. Meanwhile, Karman let out a breath of relief and joined up with Moses and Lulu, the three also intent on readying themselves for the day.

Though quiet descended upon the household once more, Kai somehow felt that this wasn't the end to the issue of Karman's glasses.

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Lunchtime in the Miyagusuku household consisted of shrimp tempura and ice water, and then everyone tidied themselves up and dressed for work in the restaurant. Another way the Schiff helped themselves integrate into more human lives was helping out Kai, either serving food or keeping the dining room clean. Normally, Kanade, Hibiki, and Irene waited upon the customers while Moses and Karman took care of the grunt work, leaving the cooking to Kai and the handling of the cash register to Lulu.

Kai was more than grateful for the help, especially since business had boomed after he'd reopened and fixed up his father's restaurant for the public again. The respect for and fond memories of George and Riku brought back most of the old regulars, and the good food and the charming faces and voices of the twins kept them coming back. The latter amenities also attracted several new faces, and soon Kai found himself with a full dining room every day from the time it opened until the time it closed. Without the extra hands taking care of the other aspects of the restaurant, he and his nieces would've been hard pressed to keep everything running smoothly.

However, at the moment, it seemed that his littlest helpers had some explaining to do before getting to work. They looked as if they'd been through a small typhoon, their hair and clothes incredibly mussed and faces covered in guilty expressions.

"So, why don't you explain what happened? In detail, please. I want to hear this, and don't even try to leave anything out, because I'll know."

Kanade and Hibiki suddenly became very interested in their feet, which were caked with dirt, but at last the less precocious twin started speaking.

"Well, it started while we were helping Aunt Irene pick out a dress…"

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"_Hey, why don't we go and hide Uncle Karman's glasses?"_

_Hibiki looked over at her grinning sister in surprise, hoping that Aunt Irene hadn't heard what she said. Kanade was trying her hardest not to start giggling._

"_I don't know, Kanade. That's not very nice, and won't Uncle Karman get mad?"_

"_Oh, he won't get mad. Besides, it's not like we're going to hide them forever. We'll give them back once we find out why he wears them, and then we'll leave them alone."_

_Hibiki still wasn't sure. Besides not being nice, stealing and then hiding her uncle's glasses wasn't something she thought they could get away with. Uncle Karman always had them on, and they were too small to take them right from him. Also, while he was always nice to them, he was often angry or annoyed towards Uncle Kai and the others. Hibiki wasn't so sure he'd remain nice to her and Kanade if they took something so important to him without asking, especially since he didn't want them to take it._

_Her sister's plan made her uneasy. She didn't want to do it._

"_I don't know…"_

_Irene had left the room in order to change into her day clothes, so Kanade then dared to nearly jump into her sister and talk a bit louder._

"_Oh come on! It'll be fun! And I know you want to see Uncle Karman without his glasses on as much as I do!"_

_That was true. Hibiki did want to see what Uncle Karman looked like without his glasses. He always had them on whenever she saw him, so she had a hard time trying to imagine how his face would change if they were gone. Would he look like Uncle Kai? Or would he look ugly? Still, she wasn't sure…_

_Kanade pouted, and then suddenly smiled again as her eyes lit up with another idea._

"_Okay, how about this? I'll be the one to take the glasses, and you can just watch. That way, if Uncle Karman gets mad, I'll be the only one who gets in trouble."_

_Hibiki chewed on her bottom lip, even though Uncle Kai was always telling her not to. Kanade's plan sounded much better now that only one of them would get in trouble, but it would've been better if neither of them would get in trouble…_

_However, Hibiki's curiosity eventually got the better of her, and the two quietly snuck away from Aunt Irene's room and towards Uncle Karman's a few doors down. _

_As they approached, the twins noticed that while the door wasn't wide open, it wasn't fully closed either. The opening itself was barely enough to see through, and Kanade and Hibiki could feel warm, moist air flowing through it as well as hear the sounds of a running shower. The coast was clear, and hopefully the noise of the water would cover up any sounds they made when they went in._

_Kanade went in first, Hibiki cautiously trailing behind her. Before the second sister fully made it through the doorjamb, the first had already begun looking around the barely furnished room for the object they aimed to spirit away. She found it in only seconds – the glasses rested on Karman's bedside table in plain view – and the adventurous girl snatched it up, taking care to make sure she didn't break it or make any noise. _

_With all the speed she could muster while remaining silent, Kanade rejoined Hibiki with her precious cargo and whispered, "Hurry! Let's go!"_

_The twins didn't even make it to the door, for from within the bathroom came:_

"_Take one more step with those glasses and I'll string you both up by your ears."_

_Kanade and Hibiki both jumped at the disembodied voice of their Uncle Karman. They had been caught._

_From outside in the hall, Aunt Irene appeared in the doorway, a little smile on her face._

"_I'm afraid the game is up, girls. We figured you might do something like this, so Karman has been listening this whole time for a sound of little feet stealing into his room."_

_The girls had the decency to look embarrassed and a little ashamed of themselves. Like a scolded puppy – albeit a gently scolded one – Kanade put the glasses back on the bedside table and then, along with Hibiki, allowed herself to be herded out by an amused Irene._

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Kai snorted despite himself. While he was disappointed in his mischievous nieces, this story was turning out to be funnier than he'd originally thought. But he made sure to keep the fatherly disapproval on his face, lest the twins get any ideas.

"And then what happened?"

Now, it was Kanade's turn to speak.

"I thought I had a better idea…"

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_Kanade could only pout and listen to her sister sniffle as they both hung upside down from a rope snare they'd looped through a short tree outside. Nearby, Moses and Karman looked on and tried not to chuckle. _

"_You know," Karman said, "you're going to have to try harder than that if you ever want to touch these glasses again."_

_Shortly afterwards, the twins were slowly let down the three feet separating them from the ground. _

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Now Kai had to try in earnest not to snicker. His girls were too rich!

He just hoped that they hadn't really hurt themselves in any of these escapades.

But Kanade wasn't through yet.

"Then I thought I had an even better idea…"

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_Hibiki pulled with all her might, in time managing to help her sister out of the shallow pool the family owned in their back yard. Kanade was sopping wet and spluttering thanks to her plan to push Uncle Karman in backfiring, and she 'humphed' and stomped her foot as Aunt Irene toweled her off. _

_At the small snacking table a short distance away, Karman, Moses, and Lulu reclined in the lounge chairs surrounding the construct, each sipping on a glass of water or fruit juice in entertained silence._

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"And let me guess… You then thought you had an even _better_ idea?" Kai asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Kanade merely nodded. Hibiki started chewing on her lip.

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"_Okay. Now this is just sad."_

_This time, Karman laughed out loud, for the twins had failed spectacularly on this third attempt. Covered in rapidly healing scratches and bite marks, they both glared at a brown squirrel sitting underneath a trimmed hedge that chattered at them angrily. Certainly it had every right to be mad, considering that the girls had caught it by baiting it with nuts and then tried to full-on chunk it at Karman's head. Fortunately for the squirrel, Kanade's grip hadn't been sure enough to keep it from slipping through her fingers, and it took advantage of the newfound situation with extreme prejudice. At last, after it didn't respond to the girls' attempts to frighten it off themselves, Karman took it upon himself to grab it by the tail and toss it as far away as he could without killing it._

_After making sure the girls weren't too terribly hurt except where their egos were concerned, he said, "Maybe you two should quit while you're ahead."_

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The situation had become too ridiculous. By now, Kai was laughing, but he tried as hard as he could to stop when Kanade and Hibiki began to sniffle. He then patted them both on their heads, deciding that the encounter with the squirrel was punishment enough for their antics.

"So, have either of you learned anything from today?"

"That you shouldn't try and throw squirrels?" Hibiki queried.

"That you can't surprise Uncle Karman?" Kanade chimed in.

Kai mussed up Kanade's hair a bit more and replied, "Well, yes. But the lesson you _should've_ learned is that you should just leave well enough alone. Now go and get yourselves cleaned up. Our customers will want to see you again today, so you need to look your best."

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The day dwindled into evening and then to night; and though plenty of customers still frequented the restaurant, the atmosphere had quieted considerably in respect for the beginning of Okinawa's wind-down. A few shops and eateries nearby began turning out their lights, and most of the people on the street either headed for those still open or were taking light strolls, glad to be off from work.

Kai finished preparing the latest order and then handed it off to Irene, who delivered it promptly. As she navigated through tables and patrons, several pairs of eyes followed her every move, but she either didn't notice or simply ignored them. Whatever the case, it was hardly a secret that many of the male customers had taken quite a fancy to her, most of them from the time she began working, and quite a few of these poor suckers tried every trick they had in their ensembles to try and win just one date.

Up to this point, not one of them had succeeded – there hadn't even been a pity date.

Knowing full well that Irene could take care of herself, Kai allowed the quest for masculine glory among the patrons to continue unbothered. It wasn't worth disturbing the peace and sanctity of his father's restaurant to pick fights with a ragtag bunch of desperate hopefuls just to shoot down notions that were already doomed to fail. Besides, they all knew what had happened to the last guy who tried to get too "personal" with Irene – namely, Karman effortlessly hefting the idiot over his shoulder and then sending him head over heels into the alley across the road. Kai highly doubted that any of the others would be too eager to end up in any similar positions, at least for tonight.

And then you had to factor in Kanade and Hibiki, whose personalities were so uplifting and infectious that it was a nigh impossibility to ruin the mood. Not one of the customers could find it in themselves to bear the twins anything but goodwill, and their attitudes were always improved in some way by having them around. At the moment, since they had no trays or baskets to deliver, the girls were helping Moses and Karman wipe down tables and collected dishes, their heads bobbing up and down amongst the dining room like dark, round fish. Whatever table they were working on at the moment, all the customers around them had something nice and cheerful to say to them, sentiments that the twins returned wholeheartedly even if they were up to their elbows in work.

Kai smiled. It was wonderful to have his father's restaurant up and running again, even more so because of the effervescent atmosphere that practically no one could destroy. The only thing that could've made this better was if George, Riku, Hagi, and Saya were still here, but there was no use in dwelling on the past, not when a bright and peaceful future lay ahead.

Suddenly there came a loud chattering from outside, and Kai knew from experience what to expect next. The noise grew to a fever pitch as a sizeable group of girls crowded through the front door, all friends from the nearby high school. The girls, usually about ten or twelve strong, each said their hellos to Kai and headed over to their usual spot, a large, rectangular table in the corner farthest from the entrance. Almost as soon as they sat down, Kanade and Hibiki skipped over with handfuls of menus and began handing them out in cheery welcome. The girls, no different from any of the other customers, gave the twins great bear hugs and ruffled their hair affectionately. A couple even brought some small gifts, a bracelet of colored beads and a pair of rhinestone earrings, which were accepted with enthusiastic thanks.

In spite of his experiences with teenage girls in the past, Kai had to give them points for treating Kanade and Hibiki so well. They may have been a bunch of loud chatterboxes that sometimes annoyed him, but as long as they were nice to his girls, he would put up with just about anything they could throw at him, even the fact that none of the orders were ever the same from one girl to the next. As Kai called over Irene to help him with cooking all of their food, he caught sight of Moses timidly – yes, _timidly_ – skirting away from the teenagers in a manner that reminded him of a frightened puppy.

It was a pity that poor Moses, an unintentional super-magnet for the girls' affections, couldn't acclimate nearly as well in ignoring or tolerating them as the others. This fact was especially clear every time the group heard the telltale sound of the girls heading closer, for Moses, switching instantly to alert mode, would then retreat as far from the door and that back table as physically possible without actually leaving the restaurant. Kai could never help the sympathetic grin that slid across his face as he watched the battle-hardened Schiff attempt to avoid the gaggle of teenagers, leaving almost any duties that required going within zero to five feet of them to Karman, Irene, and the twins.

Of course, something as simple as that would hardly deter any flirtatious high-schooler who had selected her target and had him in her sights.

"Hey, Moses! How about coming over here and experiencing a _real _woman!" called one, a ponytailed redhead.

"A real woman? _You_? The only thing 'real' about you is your… Oh wait, no, your breasts aren't real," said a bob-styled brunette across from her, sparking laughter from the group, even the redhead.

"Oh, come on you two. As if a man like Moses would ever want a couple of Jane Does like you." This came from a blonde who meticulously primped her hair and clothes and batted her eyelashes. "Someone of his caliber would undoubtedly want a lady, someone with style and class and–"

"So he obviously wouldn't want _you_, then," quipped the brunette, earning herself a slap on the arm from the blonde. Once more, all of the girls shared a boisterous laugh.

By this point, Moses's face had gone beet red and he looked like he wanted to disappear into the floor. Karman, who passed him on the way to put some dirty dishes in the sink, snickered unrepentantly at his unlucky friend.

Kai finished the first dish, a plate of beef and broccoli, and gave it to Hibiki to deliver as he started on the third – Irene handled the second. As the little girl left, he said over his shoulder, "All right ladies. Give the poor guy some peace and quiet. I need him to be out there working and not be distracted."

"Sorry, Kai!"

Then, with a laugh that was obviously evil in nature, Karman added on this little gem:

"You know, we don't need him tonight. By all means, you ladies could kidnap him as soon as he's done working."

As the girls squealed, Karman paused to throw a smug glance at Moses, who looked positively scandalized and not in the least bit irate. Kai and Irene both sighed and Lulu shook her head, knowing that there was no way this would end well.

And they were right.

No sooner had Kai and Irene finished cooking and delivering the girls' food, Moses pulled Karman over to the side and said three simple words.

"Take them off."

At the cash register, Lulu let out a small gasp. Irene immediately turned to them from the sink and stared in silence. Kanade, Hibiki, and Kai, wondering what in the world was going on, did the same. Despite the amount of conversation going on in the dining area, the atmosphere seemed to quiet as Moses and Karman were suddenly locked in an epic staring contest, which continued for about a minute until Karman replied:

"No."

Moses glared a little harder at him, undaunted.

"Take. Them. Off."

"Not. On. Your. Life."

Kanade and Hibiki walked over to where the two Schiff stood off, looking between them with endless curiosity. Kai simply stayed where he was at the stove, wondering if his friends had any idea of how…odd…this conversation probably sounded to anyone, like him, who didn't know what they were talking about.

It was merely fortunate that most of the customers were either too involved in their own dialogues or too drunk to listen.

"What you did to me was cruel and unnecessary, Karman, and I believe an apology is in order. So _take them off_."

"No way. You can go to He–"

"Karman!"

"Heck."

Then, Kanade and Hibiki, who caught on to what the argument was really about, began doing something that tipped the tide in Moses's favor.

"Take them off! Take them off! Take them off! Take them off!"

Kai took his palm to his face as every single person turned to look at the two girls and, by extension, Moses and Karman. All the while the twins continued their chant, eventually starting to jump and dance around the two Schiff, who still glared at each other. In the back corner, the teenage girls, who thought the issue was something along the lines of what most people would assume, joined in with as much volume and enthusiasm as they could muster. In time, the rest of the patrons – no small few of them either tipsy or drunk – added their own voices, and the restaurant soon filled to the brim with a booming chorus of, _"Take them off! Take them off! Take them off! Take them off!"_

Kai simply prayed that no one close enough to hear this racket would call the police.

Lowering his voice just enough so that no one else would hear him, Karman said to Moses, "You planned this, didn't you?"

Again, Moses was un-intimidated.

"Hardly. You got yourself into this. Take them off."

"No."

At this point, Moses and Karman were almost nose-to-nose, neither one willing to back down as the raucous chanting. It was then, amongst the fervor, that Moses delivered his ultimatum.

"Fine. If you won't take them off, then I'll do it for you."

First, Karman looked taken aback, but then he recovered to let loose one of his finest death glares.

"You wouldn't dare…"

The movement was so fast that Kai almost didn't perceive it. He had to look at what Moses now held in his hand to figure out what happened, and was surprised to see that, lo and behold, Karman's glasses dangled precariously between his fingers. Kai then looked at Karman, who was trying like the devil to snatch the glasses back, and…almost didn't recognize him.

Without his glasses, he looked…handsome. _Really_ handsome. Though, by no means was Karman unattractive _with_ his glasses, and Kai could admit that without questioning his stance as a heterosexual. It was just…he had no idea the hotheaded Schiff possessed the ability to be more attractive than _Moses_. Now that the glasses were no longer _the_ defining characteristic of Karman's face, Kai was simply noticing what characteristics had been there all along (and they didn't make the Schiff look anywhere _close_ to hideous.)

And it was apparent that the group of girls had discovered this little fact as well. While their expressions began to range from enamored to downright predatory, Kai called Kanade and Hibiki over and made sure that all their heads, torsos, and appendages were completely behind the fairly solid bar counter.

Then, the storm made landfall.

"OH MY GOD, HE'S _GORGEOUS_!"

Karman instantly paled, and with a strangled yelp, he abandoned his glasses and nearly broke down the front door as he bolted from the restaurant. Moses quickly removed himself from the entryway as the group of girls all but stampeded after the fleeing Schiff down the street.

Behind the bar counter, Kai, Kanade, Hibiki, Irene, and Lulu were left staring in the ensuing silence, each of them hoping that Karman would still be in one piece by the time he managed to come back.

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The following morning at the Miyagusuku household was bright and cloudless. Of course, the 'cloudless' part did not include the metaphorical one that hung over Karman's very bruised head as he sat still and allowed Irene to wrap him in bandages and gauze. Nearby, Kanade and Hibiki tried to hold in their giggles and Kai watched the proceedings with a sigh. Opposite them were Moses and Lulu, who weren't even bothering to try not to smile.

"You know," Kai said, "things wouldn't have been nearly so bad if you hadn't run. Playing hard to get only encourages them, but taking off like you did means that the chase is on and it's every girl for herself."

"And what was I _supposed_ to do? _Let _them mob me?" Karman snapped. He winced as Irene tied off the latest bandage. "Dear God, those girls are more vicious than the Corpse Corp. They nearly ripped me to shreds _and_ almost smothered me at the same damn time! At least no one would care if I killed off one or two of the Corpse Corp, but I couldn't do _anything_ once those psychopathic humans caught me. It was a miracle that I managed to escape mostly intact at all!"

Moses, who normally took no pleasure in the suffering of others, looked rather satisfied with the scene before him.

"Maybe next time you won't be so eager to forsake your friends when they're having difficulties."

The extensive bruising on the hotheaded Schiff's neck was the only thing that prevented Karman from whipping his head around to shoot a glare.

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_**Fin**_

_(__**P.S. **__– If anyone is wondering why the description of Karman's face is so vague, I did that on purpose. Since this whole chapter is purely subjective, I'll leave it up to you to decide what makes Karman so attractive without his glasses. __)_


	2. The Tale of the Number One, Part I

**Tales of the Schiff**

_Chapter 2: The Tale of the Number One, Part I_

**(Disclaimer: Don't own Blood+. It's sad, really.)**

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_Chapter Data_

Rating: M (violence, gore, mild language, character death)

Genre: Drama, tragedy, horror, family

Characters Featured: Karman, Kai, Moses, Irene, Lulu, OCs

Pairings: N/A

Length: ~ 5700 words

Summary: Kai discovers a startling fact about Moses, which leads to a story of tragedy, betrayal, and strength that almost completely changes his opinion about the de facto leader of the Schiff.

_**Edit: **__Apparently, there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot of the (uncovered) right side of Moses's face during one episode, though I didn't know about it until more than half of this chapter was already written. However, I am informed that it is an admitted animation error and should be disregarded. _

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It was the surprise of the day, and a more shocking one than Kai thought possible. He'd been ready for anything, considering Kanade and Hibiki had volunteered him to help Julia with this year's physical for the Schiff for the first time. Minor issues, like those in humans, or perhaps a small mutation or two – Kai thought he'd prepared himself for whatever information the different medical screenings would provide, considering his friends' impeccable health.

Of course, he found his preparations severely lacking when he discovered Moses was missing an eye.

Kai found out during the vision portion of the exam, after Irene, Karman, and Lulu passed with flying colors and in rapid succession. During the lead Schiff's turn, however, Julia made some strange allowances during the tests for depth perception, which left the young man suspecting. He'd never known Moses possessed any problems with his sight – that fact that he'd never participated in helping with the physicals before notwithstanding. In Kai's opinion, Moses always navigated well, no matter where he and/or his patchwork family could be found. Even during battle – _especially_ then – the Schiff moved with speed and precision, wielding his (ridiculously oversized) scythe with devastating ease and enviable skill.

Then, Kai got a firsthand glimpse of the right side of Moses's face during the test, the part that always seemed to be hidden behind a nigh unmoving cascade of bangs. There, beneath the jet black hair, a starburst-shaped scar bloomed where the Schiff's other eye should've been, its color the mottled, dirty red of a wound that never truly healed.

Kai couldn't help his startled gasp. It slipped out before he knew it would happen. Unfortunately, that knowledge didn't make him any less ashamed at his lack of control when Moses and Julia glanced in his direction, both fully aware of what caused such a reaction. Naturally, Kai apologized profusely once the test concluded and, although Moses waved off what happened and said he wasn't bothered, the young man felt he should've handled himself better and hoped he hadn't offended his friend.

Still, the image of that scar, of its pure ugliness, remained with Kai for the rest of that day. And though he decided that he would learn to downplay and ignore the memory of what he'd seen, he was a bit surprised when Irene brought up the subject at dinner that night.

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"So, I hear you've seen what happened to Moses's eye."

The frank statement made Kai pause in the middle of a mouthful of salmon sashimi. A small part of him figured that _someone _might call him out on what occurred earlier in the afternoon, but he hoped the broach of that subject would be…more subtle than what Irene just chose to do.

Swallowing the meat, Kai replied, "Yeah… Too bad I didn't exactly handle finding out with any finesse. After all the growing up I've had to do in the past few years, you'd think I'd have better manners."

Irene took her own bite before continuing.

"I wouldn't worry about it. It is a rather fierce scar, after all, so your reaction wasn't exactly unexpected. Besides, Moses isn't the type to let something like that bother him; in the big scheme of things, it's an insignificant matter. But reactions like yours _are_ why he keeps that part of his face covered."

_So that people won't be grossed out or completely freaked wherever he goes_, Kai filled in for himself. Though Irene's words held no disappointment or reprimand, he felt thoroughly admonished. He decided to try and hide his dejection by taking another bite of his meal, but the attempt was halfhearted at best.

"Truly, you don't need to feel bad. You didn't offend anyone; and it isn't like Moses lost his eye yesterday, or even that recently."

Kai shut down the curiosity that piqued within him as Lulu and Karman joined them, eating with vigor. He already made a big enough fool of himself for one day, and for the moment, Irene was the only one he felt comfortable discussing this particular topic with. He wouldn't spoil the meal by pressing on with a matter that was only fit for private. For now, and possibly for a while to come, the Kai decided he was done with the conversation.

Then, Lulu said something that not only indicated she heard Kai and Irene's talk, but caught him completely off guard.

"Kai… Do you know why we consider Moses our leader and follow him wherever he says we go?"

It seemed like a completely unrelated subject, but the living room suddenly filled with a stifling quiet. Placing his plate on the coffee table in the awkward silence, Kai considered what he knew about the Schiff and gave Lulu the most obvious answer.

"He's the one who lead the escape from Kilbed, right? He helped you find a reason not to remain enslaved to Amshel and his scientists, to go and try to find a cure for the Thorn so you could live however you wanted."

"You're not wrong," Karman answered, "but that's only part of the story. Our respect for and loyalty to Moses runs far deeper than that; the escape from Kilbed is only one of the later reasons – a big one, but definitely not the first."

Kai raised a brow. This time, he couldn't help but ask the question that popped into his head.

"Is this reason related to how Moses lost his eye?"

Irene sipped on her cup of water and nodded.

"The day we all decided to defer to Moses as our leader was the day he lost his eye, yes, but many other things happened, too. It was…the culmination of a series of events that led to a terrible battle among the Schiff, one where many of our fellows lost their lives." She sighed and shook her head. "Sometimes I think all of it could've been prevented, but considering all the players in the game, maybe there was no way any of us would've been able to stop what happened…"

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_- Kilbed: Date Unknown - _

Deep in the chiropteran laboratories of Iceland, years and years before the final war with Diva and her Chevaliers, an upheaval of distinct and inconceivable proportions was about to unfold.

"Rise and shine. I've got something here that you freaks should probably pay attention to."

In their holding cell, the Schiff turned from whatever activity they had chosen to pass time with until the next examination, each eying the scientist assigned to them for that shift. His name was Miles Harwich, and none of the Schiff held any particular fondness for him. In fact, some of the more aggressive individuals in the group had even tried to kill him on a few occasions despite their restraining devices, stopping only after the last attack ended in the torture of three of their fellows. Arrogant, pig-headed, and rude, the man treated everyone around him as if they weren't fit to lick the mud from his shoes and found no fault in pointing out and picking apart the faults of others.

In any case, the Schiff braced themselves. Whenever Miles was assigned to deliver them their next set of orders, it usually wasn't a pleasant experience.

"Word's come down from the top. You freaks are to participate in a new project, one which will test your mettle unlike anything you've experienced before. From what I've read, this next batch of examinations is the most deadly the higher-ups have come up with yet." Miles smirked and licked his lips, saying, "Oh, how I can't wait to watch more of you damn monstrosities die. It brings me so much joy, I almost feel like thanking you. But freaks like you, _things _that are less than human, don't deserve thanks from anyone."

Some of the Schiff growled in response, but most of them remained silent, not wishing to give the scientist the pleasure of rising to his contemptible taunts. Miles only continued to smirk.

"Anyway, I guess I should give you the details of this little project – not that it's my choice. I'd much rather watch the lot of you flounder and suffer, lacking any of the knowledge you need to make it to the end of this week. But, _c'est la vie_, I suppose."

He flipped through a few papers on the clipboard he held, finding the one he wanted and reciting its contents.

"This next set of examinations is to more fully evaluate and subsequently improve the combat capabilities of the subjects of the Artificial Chevalier Creation and Training Program. For the next one hundred and eighty-one days, this total otherwise represented as the next six months, all subjects will be assessed and arranged into a numerical rating system based upon cumulative scores for pre-determined test variables."

The Schiff looked at each other, a curious wariness settling around them. This certainly was turning out to be different than what they had expected, but none of them could yet determine what it meant for their future.

"Those subjects who excel in this project will be sufficiently rewarded for their efforts. In turn, those subjects who perform poorly and do not meet the required levels of achievement may be commissioned for immediate disposal at the discretion of the test proctors."

_That _piece of information caught the attention of all of the Schiff, and the wariness became silent terror. Nothing the humans made them do until this point held the explicit threat of death for failure. Those who died so far were victims of the Thorn. Now, the humans raised the stakes, and the fear the Schiff held at this new development was nigh palpable.

Miles noticed the change in mood immediately, and his grin became absolutely wicked.

"Oh, I didn't read _this _before, but the looks on all of your faces make saving this reading for now _so_ worth it."

Lulu, who sat near the corner of the cell farthest away from Miles along with Moses, Irene, Ghee, and Gudrif, bit her lip and tried to subtly shift herself so she would be behind the other four and out of sight.

"Yes, I'd be _very_ worried if I were you, littlest of the freaks," Miles remarked, his voice filled with cruelty. "If I had to make a guess, I'd say you'd be the first the higher-ups decide to dispose of."

His laugh was soft, but it echoed throughout the cell.

"Unable to fight for long without having your comrades cover for you, and barely managing to pass the most basic of intelligence tests. I'm surprised my bosses haven't ground your flesh into dog food already. But don't worry," Miles gave Lulu a mocking smile, "I'm sure you won't have to worry about making it through the next six months for much longer."

With those final, callous words, Miles turned and left the cell, and the Schiff were left wondering which of them would survive the next one hundred and eighty-one days.

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"_For the rest of that day, we discussed what we had learned and what our options would be. Everyone was shaken, especially Lulu, and the next time they would call for us became an ever-looming threat."_

"_What did they do?"_

"_The new combat runs weren't merely against six or seven chiropterans, with just one of us taking on a batch at a time. For these exams, the entire group of us was put against literal hordes of them, some fifty strong. And the testing area was loaded with traps: hidden pits with spikes at the bottoms; floor panels through which powerful electric currents flowed; wall-mounted turrets firing real bullets. All these things and more we had to face, and a few of us did not survive long enough to receive numbers."_

"_Well… How did things turn out?"_

"_The first couple of months passed, and by then the proctors had determined each of our ranks. Karman, Ghee, and I were part of those placed near the top, with Moses, Gudrif, and Darth in the middle and Lulu at the bottom. Thankfully, we all began to improve as the months went by – Lulu especially, thanks to extra help she received from Moses and Ghee outside of the tests – and no one was taken off to be 'disposed' of. After a while, some of us thought things would get better, but…that's not how our luck ran in those days…"_

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_- Kilbed: 97 Days into the Project - _

"Your attention, please! The results from the last set of examinations have been calculated. Within the next twenty-four hours, please refer to the chart the assistants are now preparing for information on changes in rank."

In the holding cell, the scientists had long since set up a mid-sized bulletin board where a typed list of current rankings could always be found. The list the lab technicians worked on at the moment was the third change-out made since the start of the project, and the Schiff, despite their initial misgivings, found themselves more interested in the flimsy pieces of paper than they would ever admit to the humans. Once the technicians left, they gathered around the bulletin board, each scanning with varying degrees of excitement through the list of numbered names for their own.

"Look!" cried Lulu. "I've moved up four places since last time! I'm in the middle now!"

"Good job, Lulu," Ghee told her, after finding his own name at number two on the list – unlike the little Schiff, his placement remained the same. "Practice makes all the difference, just like I told you."

A short distance away from the two of them, Karman and Irene stood next to a dark-haired Schiff of refined features known as Rolan, the one who'd held the number one position from the beginning of the tests. They found on this list that he remained in that position once again, so far unchallenged by the rest of them, including Ghee. His fighting prowess and the ease with which he'd learned and began to outsmart the chiropteran hordes and lethal traps was envied by all of the others, who sought to reach and surpass his level, even though most of them knew it was a futile effort.

But Karman, who had been raised from number four to number three, two places over Irene, thought differently.

"Better watch out, Rolan. Next time they figure up our scores, _I'm _going to be the number one. As the number three, I can only keep getting better – you've got nowhere else to go."

Tucking a stray hair behind his left ear, Rolan merely replied, "If you say so. Too bad they aren't grading us on trash-talk; you'd be the number one for sure."

Irene laughed a little at Karman's irritated expression, but said nothing.

However, in spite of the cheerful buzz that permeated the cell, there was one Schiff who had decided not to join in. Against the back wall, Moses stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze firmly settled on the floor. The expression he wore was of deep contemplation, brow creased and mouth set in a straight line.

Turning her attention from the board, Lulu departed from the group and took her place at his side with a smile.

"What's the matter, Moses? So far, the news has been really good. You're one of the ones that moved up in rank – two places, if I remember right. So, why the long face?"

Moses sighed and shook his head.

"To be honest, I'm not sure myself. It's not my rank that's the problem – I'm happy where I'm at right now." His eyes narrowed a bit more. "I just can't help but think that there's something the humans aren't telling us, that there's an entirely different objective to this project than what they've led us to believe."

Lulu cocked her head to one side, making it obvious that she did not understand. Again, Moses shook his head.

"It's not as if I trust the humans; every time they're around I'm on edge. But I've never had any solid reason to think that they are planning anything against us either, at least to this point. Still, this whole project doesn't sit right with me. I just wish I could figure out _why…_"

At that moment, Karman joined up with them, wearing a rather smug grin.

"Oh, come on, Moses. Don't be such a stiff. You know what? I think you're just annoyed that you haven't made it to the number one spot yet, that people like me and Irene are doing much better than you are. So now you're trying to come up with excuses in order to save face, and trust me, that's pretty sad coming from you."

Moses let out an ungraceful snort and said, "Hardly. By all means, go ahead and fight against Ghee and Rolan for the top spot if you want – don't let me stop you. Until I know for sure that the humans have no ulterior motive for this project you're all so excited about, I have no desire to play into their hands beyond making sure I'm not 'disposed of'."

Karman scoffed.

"Whatever. I _still _think you're just full of it."

But before the conversation could continue, the entrance to the cell opened once more, catching the Schiff by surprise. This time, instead of a nameless and emotionless orderly, they were facing Miles, and the surprise quickly gave way to resentment.

"As much as I know you freaks absolutely _adore _my company – I'm the only ray of sunshine you have in your miserable lives, after all – it would appear as if the technicians from before neglected to inform you all of the latest development concerning the aforementioned 'reward' for the top monsters." His mocking smile deepened as he added on, "Or should I say the top _monster_."

The Schiff quieted, watching as Miles turned in Rolan's direction but aimed his next address to everyone.

"It would seem that the higher-ups have finally come to a decision on what your little gift will be and how to implement it. Unfortunately, instead of giving it to the handful of freaks at the top, only the one who holds the number one rank at the end of the six months will receive it. Too bad for the rest of you, since it's something I know you've all been wanting for quite a long time now."

Normally, Moses had nothing to say whenever Miles was the other scientists' delivery boy, neither a word nor a growl. But today, perhaps because of the discussion with Lulu and Karman, he was running out of patience with the detestable human.

Thus, as Miles began with his next taunt, Moses cut him off with a brusque, "Just get on with it. If what you have to say isn't necessary, then there's no point in us continuing to listen."

Miles slowly turned to glare at the Schiff, his lips contorting into a snarl, and ground out, "I'd watch my tone if I were you, _freak_. Someone up at the top might just decide that _you've _become unnecessary one day, and there'd be nothing you or your little freak friends could do about it."

Nonetheless, Moses wasn't intimidated and matched the scientist's glare evenly. In time, Miles broke the staring contest and did, in fact, get on with why he'd shown up.

"To any of you freaks who have dreams about taking the number one rank at the end of this project, from this point on I'd be trying my damn hardest to get there…because only the number one will have the distinct pleasure of finding himself permanently cured of the Thorn."

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"_Moses had been right about there being an ulterior motive, of course, but none of us could fathom it once Miles told us about there being a cure for the Thorn. That one promise, no matter how out of reach it may have been, inhabited the forefront of our thoughts like nothing before. From that point on, it was every Schiff against the others, despite the attempts made by some of us to hold our familial bonds together. Distrust ran rampant, and even the most level-headed in our group became affected by it on some level, beginning to fight only for themselves instead of for those they once called friends._

"_It was, by far, one of the darkest times of our history. We Schiff, who had nothing else to count on in the world besides each other, became no better than the humans that created us, fueled by hardly anything more than mistrust and spite and the desire to outdo the others for the slimmest chance at life. None of us even gave thought to the possibility that the reward was simply a ruse formulated to make us act the way we did, and the scientists did a good job in fueling the fires by posting up new ranking lists every two to three days._

"_In fact, I am…ashamed to admit that the sole person to see through the humans' game without any doubts was Moses. But so focused on stealing the number one rank from the others were we, that his insight and wisdom only gave some of us incentive to make him a target…"_

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_- Kilbed: 133 Days into the Project - _

The latest examination had ended, the floor of the training arena littered with the dismembered and decapitated bodies of some fifty-odd chiropterans. For the past few minutes, the Schiff busied themselves with making sure their weapons received proper cleaning, and then, when finished, attempted to remove the blood splatters from their arms, legs, and faces. They didn't bother with their clothes – the humans would provide new ones at their return to the holding cell.

All the while, nasty looks exchanged from Schiff to Schiff, and it was a miracle in and of itself that no fights broke out.

Then Moses broke the silence, absently wiping a blood trail from his chin.

"This is absolutely ridiculous."

No one looked at him, and Rolan was the only one who deigned to answer.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what the humans are trying to do to us, don't you?" Moses asked, glancing at the reigning number one sharply. "This entire 'rank' project, despite the improvements to our combat skills, is a twisted joke, designed for nothing more than to turn us against one another."

From one corner, Karman let out a harsh laugh.

"First you're a sore loser, and now you're a sore loser that's paranoid. Come on, Moses; give it a rest, will you?"

Some of the other Schiff murmured in assent, turning their baleful glares upon the sole Schiff who dared to speak out against their only chance of living without the Thorn. However, the resentment bubbling around the room did not make him back down.

"No!" Moses snapped, his fists clenched hard enough to turn his knuckles white. "I've kept silent on this matter for long enough, and now, seeing how utterly absurd you are all acting, I see that I should've said something sooner. The humans have been manipulating us all along under the pretense of making us stronger, no matter how real or useful that pretense may be. Their so-called permanent cure of the Thorn is an aim entirely devoted to making us enemies against one another! In fact, I'm even beginning to think that this 'cure' isn't the least bit real!"

"And where's your proof?" asked Darth, waving his mace in a threatening fashion. "I'll bet you don't have the slightest bit of it!"

"It was the rating system that made me suspicious, but I'll admit that with that reason you're right – there's no way I could've proven anything based on something so general. But how about this? Why, after such a long time, did the humans suddenly decide to give the cure for the Thorn to just _one _of us, instead of to the top group like they said at the beginning? Do _you _have an explanation?"

Darth sputtered, angry that he couldn't answer Moses off of the top of his head. But, even if he _did _have an explanation, the other Schiff kept going.

"Suddenly, it no longer benefits us to work together, like we always have. Now, any help one of us gives to another only lowers his or her own chance to ultimately live without fear of a creeping and inescapable death. Why would the humans subject us to something like that, if not to toy with our emotions and watch us suffer? _I _certainly can't see any benefit for us. Can you?"

The heated muttering amongst the other Schiff momentarily fizzled away, none of them so sure now of doubting Moses and his words. An uncomfortable silence spread between them as they all began to seriously question what true reason there could be behind the human's current project. For a while, no one said anything, and Moses allowed himself a sigh of relief.

Unfortunately, he should've known better than to celebrate before the battle was truly won. And he paid for it dearly.

"You know what I think…" said Rolan, looking Moses dead in the eyes. "I think that this whole…conspiracy…that the humans are supposedly using against us is just as fake as you say the cure for the Thorn is."

Moses was dumbfounded, and then his bewilderment turned to dismay when the irate hum began among the other Schiff once more, with Rolan only inciting them by continuing.

"You said it yourself. With the goal we have in sight, helping each other is out of the question. Who's to say that this betrayal by the humans that you supposedly see isn't a scheme of your own to bring the rest of us down?"

"How could you suggest something like that?" Moses cried, his dismay quickly evolving into abject horror. "I would never be so shallow and cruel! What is it that I've done to make you think of me that way? Tell me, and I swear I'll do everything I can to make it right!"

"But you're doing it right now!" a Schiff named Mary cried from the middle of the group, her opinion backed by cries of support from her fellows. The only ones who didn't add their voices to the clamor were Ghee, Gudrif, Irene, and Lulu, who stood at the very back. Despite having doubts about Moses themselves, they had not reached the point of the other Schiff and instead were afraid for him.

With the way the tides were turning, disaster was imminent.

As Moses looked on at his seemingly former friends and comrades, he could and could not believe that matters had escalated to this point. No matter which pair of eyes he turned to, he found himself faced with little more than intense hostility, and this hostility was only magnified by an endless stream of shouts and jeers of accusation.

Without being aware of it, he took a step back.

"Yeah! We see what you're doing, Moses!" Karman yelled, jabbing a blameful finger in his direction. "This whole time, you've been fooling us into thinking that you weren't interested in this project and that somehow the humans have something against us. But, really, the only one out to get us is _you_!"

"N-no," Moses stammered, looking around for someone, _anyone_, that would believe him. "I-I'm not–"

"LIAR!"

The group, with the exception of Irene, Lulu, Ghee, and Gudrif, began to advance threateningly, their cries of condemnation indistinguishable from one another. Moses couldn't help it now; he backed away from them in earnest, fear for his own life beginning to overcome that which he felt for his friends.

Yes, even now, when they had all turned against him, even though they had said and were continuing to say such terrible things, he did not reject them and never would. They were all he had, the first and only companions he'd made since the humans created him, and the only ones that understood him just as he understood them.

At least, Moses had thought there was mutual understanding between them. The almost undeniable thought that there could be none filled him with an indescribable sadness that matched and surpassed his fear. This sadness welled inside his chest and constricted it at the same time, and he could not help but feel that his world was irreparably shattering around him.

And, perhaps more so than the humans, all of this was his fault. If only he had spoken his mind sooner…

With that thought, Moses stopped backing away and the mob was upon him, their glares only intensifying with the lack of distance between themselves and the target of their hate. Somewhere in his mind, although he didn't know where, Moses began to believe with growing certainty that they would kill him.

But the anger, the absolute outrage that he should've felt simply wasn't there.

Moses tried to find it – he searched desperately, through every part of himself that he was aware of – but in time he discovered that, even if there was anger to be found, the sadness had exhausted him beyond the point of sustaining it. He no longer had the strength or the will to look at the other Schiff with resentment, and if they were to try and end him, he wouldn't resist.

Death was an appropriate punishment for what he had let his friends become. Moses only hoped that the humans would receive their own just rewards before the Schiff were completely destroyed.

However, when Ghee jumped between him and the others, he thought that maybe his time hadn't come just yet.

"That is enough! What has gotten in to you all?" the white-haired Schiff snapped. "We may have been trained by the humans to kill, but to my knowledge we were not trained to be _murderers_! Stay this madness!"

"And why shouldn't we get rid of him?" asked Darth. "Who knows how long he's been plotting against us? Just look at him – he's plotting even now!"

"So what if he is? His intentions are out in the open now, aren't they? If he _is_ plotting and continues to do so, we all know about it, right? There's nowhere for him to hide and scheme so long as we always keep a watchful eye out. But there's no need to kill him, even if his life is now worth less than the rest of ours, for he has not killed any one of us himself. If you do decide to kill him, then your life will rightfully be forfeit in turn."

For a moment, in spite of the grounded logic and the veiled threat Ghee presented, Moses thought that Darth would come at him anyway. But, eventually, the stout Schiff lowered his mace and turned away.

"Fine. But if he so much as looks at me the wrong way, I'm not going to be held responsible for what might happen."

The gate leading back to the holding cell had opened near the end of the argument, and Darth made a beeline for it. One by one, the rest of the group began to follow him, with no small few throwing malignant looks over their shoulders at Moses as they went.

After a couple of minutes passed, the only ones who had not yet left were Ghee, Irene, Gudrif, Lulu, and Moses. The former four gazed at the latter without a word, each of them wanting to say something consoling, to say that, despite what had just happened, they believed him and that they'd never doubted him for a second…but they couldn't.

Finally, it was Moses who broke the silence by addressing Ghee.

"Thank you…for what you said. I may not agree with all of it, but I am…grateful…that you stepped in."

But Ghee, whose expression was filled with remorse, only shook his head.

Watching his face, Moses then felt that it had been pointless to thank him.

"You don't believe me either. None of you do."

Gudrif, Irene, and Lulu hung their heads in shame and didn't meet his eyes, and it was Ghee who eventually replied.

"Don't misunderstand, Moses. We don't think you're plotting against us at all, and we want to believe you about the humans – all of us still here do. And we certainly don't want you to be killed because of the ridiculousness of the others.

"But, Darth's right, in a way. You have no solid evidence about the humans, and until you do, no one is going to believe you, especially with the chance of being rid of the Thorn so close at hand. And with how angry and betrayed the others are feeling…" He paused for a few seconds before proceeding, "Perhaps, it would be best if you did not speak of this matter any further."

With that, Ghee turned towards the gate and walked away. Moses did not watch him go. Gudrif was the next to leave, giving Moses a parting pat on the shoulder. Irene and Lulu followed shortly afterwards.

Once they were gone, Moses, exhausted and overcome, fell to his knees and wept.

For the first time in his life, he felt truly, utterly alone.

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_**Fin Part I**_

_**Author's Comments**__: I've always wanted to delve into Moses's character, especially after the *cough*BS*cough* suicide he pulled with Karman at the end of Episode 45. This less lighthearted and much more tragically dramatic idea came to me after a couple of days of contemplation, and I could only begin writing it after a few days more. It ties in with Episode 27, "Paris, Je T'aime", and hopefully it will meet any reader's standards for a story of its type and/or the character it's based around. Hope you enjoyed this first part of "The Tale of the Number One."_


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